The Nationalist Party has raised a series of questions over how an Enemalta official arraigned in connection with the Smart Meters scandal, was only accused of stealing electricity and not the more serious accusation that this was a crime he was duty bound to prevent.
PN energy spokesman George Pullicino asked whether the government had put pressure on the police to be more lenient with Louis Attard.
Mr Pullicino said that Mr Attard was the head of accounts at Enemalta and very close to Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi.
He asked why Mr Attard was treated differently from other Enemalta employees.
Mr Pullicino said that the government and the police must come clean and say who put pressure on the prosecution.
If not, Mr Pullicino said, the government would be meddling with the justice system and this could be tantamount to corruption.
OPPOSITION MAKES UP STORY TO DIVERT ATTENTION
In a reply, the government said Mr Pullicino made up this story to divert attention from the fact that he was politically responsible for a €35 million contract given on the eve of the election.
The government said that Mr Attard had no connection to Minister Mizzi and had been employed with Enemalta in 2005. He was promoted by a Nationalist government, which had also turned his contract into an indefinite one on the eve of the election.